Erste Group

Universal bank · Vienna, Austria

Erste Group is a Vienna-based universal bank that grew out of the first Austrian savings bank founded in 1819. It serves 23.2 million clients through 2,065 branches in eight countries across Austria and Central and Eastern Europe. In January 2026 it paid about 7 billion euros for a controlling 49 percent stake in Santander Bank Polska, Poland's third-largest bank. Its Austrian business account costs 10.41 euros per month and founders can open an account online. The Poland deal cut the CET1 ratio from 19.3 percent to 14.4 percent before it recovered to 15.2 percent in June 2026.

Legal name: Erste Group Bank AG
Regulated by: European Central Bank (SSM), Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA), Czech National Bank, National Bank of Slovakia, National Bank of Romania, Magyar Nemzeti Bank, Croatian National Bank, National Bank of Serbia, KNF (Poland)
Licence confirmed: yes, on a regulator's own list
Established: 1819
Website: www.erstegroup.com

Scores, 0 to 10

8.5Europe (EU, EEA, Switzerland)

Retail and corporate banks in eight EU countries including Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Croatia and Poland. · source

8.0Financial strength & stability

A1 and A+ ratings; CET1 rebuilt to 15.2 percent in June 2026 after the Poland acquisition. · source

7.5Business cards (Visa, Mastercard)

Business Smartcard at 1 euro a month, Premiumcard at 12 and Premiumcard Plus at 26, a Business Debit Mastercard, and a package of 120 virtual cards for projects and employees at 12 euros a month. · source

7.0Cross-border payments, FX and multi-currency accounts

Group covers euro plus Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Serbian and Polish currencies; FX margins are not published. Regional treasury and markets platform George Business covers eight CEE markets. · source

6.5Trade, manufacturing & import-export

Trade finance for CEE exporters, including receivables purchasing through the New York branch with US Ex-Im support. · source

6.0Lowest fees

s Geschäftskonto 10.41 euros per month; EPU Smart flat rate 13.61 euros per month. · source

6.0Fast digital onboarding

s Gründer Konto can be opened online by Austrian founders. · source

5.5Startups & VC-backed companies

Dedicated s Gründer Konto for founders at 5.20 euros per month in the first year. · source

5.0Fintech companies that need a partner bank

No published safeguarding or EMI programme; George Business targets banks and asset managers. · source

5.0Online businesses: e-commerce and SaaS

Business accounts with cards; acquiring via partners rather than an in-house collection product. Virtual card packages for cloud spend and an Erste developer portal exist, but there is no USD receiving account for non-Austrian firms, no Stripe integration and no revenue-based financing. · source

5.0On-ramp: buy crypto with fiat

A March 2026 guide reports SEPA and SEPA Instant transfers from George to MiCA-licensed exchanges go through with standard AML checks, but this is personal-account evidence; in 2022 Erste said it kept no business relationships with crypto industry firms, and no newer business policy was found. · source

4.5Off-ramp: crypto to fiat in a business account

Erste told Trending Topics in 2022 that customers receiving larger amounts from an exchange may be asked to explain and prove where the money came from, and that it did not bank crypto companies; the March 2026 guide repeats the source-of-funds check, with no published business process. · source

4.0United States

Federally licensed New York branch does syndicated lending and receivables purchasing for corporates only. · source

3.5Asia-Pacific (SG, HK, AU, JP, KR)

Hong Kong branch with full licence since 1998 serves corporates as a bridgehead, not local SMEs. · source

3.5Best interest on business balances

Business account pages list monthly fees and an overdraft rate but no yield on balances. · source

3.5Foreign-owned & non-resident companies

Business accounts open online through George for Austrian companies; the page gives no route for foreign-incorporated companies or owners without Austrian identification. · source

3.5Bitcoin

The group's Austrian retail bank, Erste Bank, sells bitcoin ETPs such as the 21Shares bitcoin ETP through its securities account and savings plans from EUR 10 a month, which is price exposure without coins, custody or transfers, checked September 2026. · source

3.5Ethereum

The same ETP page offers ether exposure through listed crypto ETPs alongside XRP, Solana and BNB, price exposure only with no ether custody or staking, checked September 2026. · source

3.0Customer satisfaction

Trustpilot score is 1.5 out of 5. · source

3.0High-risk verticals (iGaming, cannabis, adult, forex)

Erste publishes a Responsible Financing Policy for socially, environmentally and ethically sensitive sectors, but the sustainability page does not list gambling, adult or forex clients as accepted or excluded and the policy text could not be opened today. · source

2.5Crypto-friendly bank

Bank offers no crypto trading or custody; customers are directed to external exchanges. · source

2.5Stablecoins (USDC, USDT and others)

Erste Group joined Qivalis, the bank-owned euro stablecoin issuer, in May 2026; Qivalis still awaits DNB authorisation for a second-half 2026 launch, and Erste offers no stablecoin service to companies today. · source

1.0Crypto wallet and custody for a business

Erste offers no crypto custody or wallet; its own crypto ETP page sells exposure explicitly 'without your own wallet', and a March 2026 guide confirms no crypto trading or custody at the bank. · source

1.0Accept crypto payments

No crypto or stablecoin acceptance for merchants was found; Erste's crypto offer is limited to ETP savings plans and a fund, and its euro stablecoin plan through Qivalis is not yet authorised, checked September 2026. · source

Sources

Built on public information and the BankStore team's own aggregated experience; no confidential client or partner data. Bank Index and BankStore are not banks. This is information, not financial advice.